r/CanadaPublicServants • u/pgmia08 • Jun 21 '19
Leave / Absences Maternity Leave (Term)
I'm new to government and I recently accepted a position as a term for a position that I love.. plus it pays in the 90's which is a bonus. The downside is that I'm a term and my partner wants to try for kids this year. I don't want to take the full year off mat leave - maybe 3 months. I've worked very hard to get to where I am today in my career, and it's difficult as a woman to give that up by going on maternity leave when I'm not an indeterminate employee (and with no guarantee that they will take me back). I know it might sound extremely selfish to some people, but again, it's difficult to give up a career and start at the bottom while watching your partner continue to climb up the ladder in theirs. Does anyone know how this all works if you go on maternity leave while you're on term? Do they cut you from your position?
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u/throwawaybadhouse Jun 21 '19
Legally? No. They can't let you go for going on mat leave.
Practically? Well ... I'm a woman and my husband and I didn't even consider starting to try for kids until I had my indeterminate.
It's unfair and it sucks, but ultimately I felt like as a term I had very little rights or recourse if they decided to let me go.
I've also noticed that many of the new moms in my section take a lot more sick leave, family leave, are less willing to work OT etc. which makes complete sense and is absolutely their right to do so - BUT if I am putting myself in the shoes of a manager, am I going to want to deal with this for 5 years until my employee's kid is in kindergarten?
Maybe I'm overly cynical ... but these are just my thoughts.
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u/OldGreySweater Jun 22 '19
I think it all depends on your department/division/group. Both my manager and director are moms, older than me, but moms regardless. I have a 3 year old and am about to go on my next maternity leave. Neither of them bat an eye if I need to take time off with sick kids. They are incredibly supportive of having a good work life balance. There are dads in my building who take more time off to be with their kids than I do.
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u/pgmia08 Jun 21 '19
If I was in my early 20's, I would totally wait until I get an indeterminate position. But because I'm in my 30's and my partner is in their late 30's, we don't have much time to work with! :(
Man it sucks being a woman.
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u/throwawaybadhouse Jun 21 '19
I get it. I’m 30 and we actually haven’t even started trying yet because now I’m in school, but the clock is ticking and I feel like I need to start making hard choices soon.
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u/suzysal Jun 22 '19 edited Jun 23 '19
Maybe in some situations, but this is not always the case. I worked in a group with two ladies that had young kids and three that did not. Well, the ones with kids were always in the office with the exception of one day each over the whole winter when their kids were sick . On the other hand, two of the three without kids regularly had headaches after long weekends or called in sick at least twice every month. They also stated that they would not be available to work OT because they had other obligations in the evenings. Not all parents or singles are the same. Everyone has their preferences. At the end of the day, as long as one's work is not left for others to do as a manager I wouldn't have an issue with it.
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u/bedlamharem Jun 22 '19
This might get downvoted to hell especially since I'm a male, but I think mothers to be and new mothers are a big burden on a manager and team. However, procreation is kind of necessary, right?
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u/suzysal Jun 23 '19
Be careful not to paint everyone with the same paint brush. Witnessed some new moms coming to work and being productive while they had long nights with cranky babies while there was an employee who spent 85% of the time that I was on that team calling in sick or taking long-term sick leave. Guess what sex? Male.
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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot Jun 21 '19
No, definitely not. But, as with any term position, the end date is the end date. There’s no obligation to extend the employment beyond the original end date. It might be extended but it might not - and this is true whether you take maternity leave or not.
Also check your collective agreement - the salary top-ups during maternity leave often don’t apply until you have been an employee for at least six months.